Apple Mac Pro Review: New Mac Pro Is a Pricey Aluminum Winner

When the first Mac Pro review came out, it was a given that Apple’s (AAPL) new Mac desktop for the professional crowd was going to be a significant upgrade over the previous version. But the performance of the 2013 Mac Pro is exceeding expectations.

It’s not just the raw power of the new Apple Mac Pro that’s impressing. The polished black aluminum cylinder design made this model not only the most futuristic looking of AAPL’s Mac computers (a considerable achievement considering the aluminum and glass iMac), but it’s also the most easily repairable and upgradable. That comes as a surprise since the sleek black desktop Mac unveiled at Apple’s last World Wide Developer Conference looked as though it would be a nightmare to open up. However tear down site iFixit just completed its Mac Pro review and says the new machine is much easier to tinker with than most Mac computers.

The price for the new Mac Pro is lofty, starting at $3,000 and topping out at nearly $10,000 (without a display or accessories) — still, that’s for a Mac desktop that’s a workstation capable of driving three 4K monitors at once with up to 7 Teraflops of processing power. And even the loaded version is a bargain compared to the $977,000 a customized Product RED Mac Pro recently sold for at auction.